Returning to Form: Erik Bedard

On April 20th Erik Bedard lost his fourth consecutive start to begin the 2011 season. He worked just five frames against the Tigers at Safeco Field, allowing three runs on five hits, walking five, making a wild pitch, and hitting a batter. He lacked command, throwing 95 pitches in his five innings, only 51 for strikes.

After the game, a reporter asked him if he was frustrated that he was not performing the same way he used to during his more dominant seasons. He responded, “I don’t know if it will ever be like it used to be, after three surgeries.”

To that point in the season, Bedard was 0-4, with a 7.71 ERA. He also led the American League with seven homeruns allowed. Since that time, however, he has been fantastic. In his four starts since starting 0-4, Erik Bedard has averaged over 6.2 innings per start, and has allowed just 1.33 earned runs per nine innings of work, picking up two wins along the way. Over his last four starts, he has not allowed a homerun.

Bedard appears healthy now for the first time in years, and we all hope he continues to be pain-free on the mound.

Unlike his first four games this seasons, his most recent four games have seen him attack the strike zone and work ahead of hitters with efficiency. Perhaps he finally believes he is over his recent injuries and has the confidence in his arm to pitch aggressively within in the strike zone, rather than nibble off the edges of the plate. One wonders if he lacked that confidence in April, when he doubted he’d ever be the type of pitcher who, in 2007, finished in the top-five in AL Cy Young voting. His recent injuries may have been sitting in the back of his mind, preventing him from daring hitters to beat him.

His season ERA is now down to 3.94, and baseball observers are taking notice of Bedard’s resurgence. Hall of Fame Baseball Writer Peter Gammons noted a report out of San Diego based on Bedard’s start last night: “Very good. Very good curveball. Best I’ve seen him in years.” Both Gammons and ESPN’s Buster Olney indicated that Erik Bedard, should he remain healthy, may become a valuable trading chip, should the Mariners look to sell prior to the trade deadline. Olney noted that the Mariners are “almost certainly in position to ask for a top prospect” in return for Bedard, but he also noted that teams interested in Bedard would need to convince themselves that he could find the same comfort zone on their team as he feels in the Mariner clubhouse.

Yet, before we begin to focus on the trading deadline, and potential suitors for Erik Bedard, we should remind ourselves that the season, is still relatively young, and somehow, despite the roller coaster that has been the first 44 games of the season, at 20-24, the Mariners—despite being the cellar dweller of the AL West—sit just 2.5 games back of the first-place Texas Rangers. Having a healthy Erik Bedard in a Mariner uniform will be key as this team moves forward with its remaining 2011 schedule.